Say It Is Not So
by Crestpha
Summary: Thor discovers a dark secret in his family that involves his father, his mother, and his brother. Warning: Child Abuse. RATED M FOR A REASON. Frigga is Freyja.


"You released Loki?!" Thor yelled at his father in both disbelief and anger. Odin was not amused.

"He is under house arrest, but dependent on his behavior that may be shortened." Odin said. At his side stood Freyja looking slightly ill.

Thor slammed his hammer down in frustration.

"Take your tantrum outside." Odin ordered turning back to the matters at hand. Thor shook with rage before reclaiming Mjolnir and storming out. He would have words about this – he would certainly be returning to argue this with his father later but first he needed to speak with the villain at hand.

* * *

The soldiers outside Loki's door did not surprise him, but he was surprised that they were reluctant to let him in.

He hung Mjolnir outside the door as a gesture of faith that he was not there to cause trouble, only there to speak with Loki. He did not mention that if he was going to kill Loki, as real as the possibility was, he was going to do it with his bare hands.

However when he entered he was met with a different sight then he expected.

The room was trashed and against one far wall, which seemed to have all the damage spread from it as if the wreckage was ripples from a drop in the water, sat Loki. A very small, child sized Loki with his head hidden between his legs and arms.

"Let me guess," Loki's child like voice stated with all the malice that could be mustered, "You're here to tell me that I'm going back to Odin's bedchamber." He scuffed near the end. Part of Thor's rage took to confusion. He paused in his stalk toward his adopted brother. The pause was long enough for Loki to lift his head. As soon as he saw Thor his face went from anger to utter shock. He put on a smirking mask.

"Oh, dear brother? What bring you here?" He said, getting up. His clothes looked clean but wrinkled. Around his neck was a gold collar that likely limited his powers and kept him in such a form. His dusted himself off and went to a table nearby that had not been completely destroyed. On it was alcohol and grails. He poured himself a large serving of the hard licker. He seemed to have an epiphany pass his thoughts

"Want some?" he offered Thor the grail and took a huge swig from the alcohol's container.

"What do you mean bed chamber?" He asked. Loki's smirk dropped for a second. He looked away from Thor and took another swig.

"Nothing. That's just where he tends to assign punishment." He gave a short snort before setting the grail down and walking back, rather unsteadily toward his previously occupied spot.

Thor decided to ignore it altogether.

"I don't know what you did to-" He was interrupted by another snort.

"what I did" Loki muttered smiling and looking at his drink.

"YES. What ever you did to get this lenient punishment-" again an interrupting snort.

"lenient" Loki muttered before turning the container upside down and attempting to swallow the nearly two liters worth of remaining alcohol in one go.

"Stop that! You'll drown" Thor's old habits of dealing with his baby brother returned for a moment with that order. Loki stood so quickly and slammed the bottle down so swiftly that even Thor was surprised when it hit the ground and his tiny brother was glaring at him.

"Good! Let it drown me! Better than here!" He screeched.

Thor glared down at his brother with equal rage.

"This is better than the cage that you should be in – be grateful that I'm not dragging you back there! If not for father-"

"I don't care what that Odin fool says!" Thor slapped Loki hard for his disrespect.

Loki touched his cheek and for a second Thor was again broken into the habit he had when during Loki's youth.

"I'd be happier in the cage than here." Loki whispered as angry tears started to fall. "What do you want?" Loki growled out as he picked up the bottle again. Some of half of liquid had spilled but Loki seemed not to notice as he went back to drinking. "Let me guess – this is you warning me that you'll be watching and that you're going to get me when the first chance comes."

"Yes." Thor answered.

"Great, considered me warned. Now get out." Loki said, going back to sitting.

* * *

It is important to note that Thor left because his business was finished and not because Loki ordered him too.

It was nearly a week before Thor saw Loki again. When he did he glared on in silence as he watched his child-sized brother being led in chains by two guards toward Odin's bedchambers.

He continued on toward the banquet hall when he spotted his mother standing off to the side looking even more ill as she watched Loki enter the chamber alone.

"Mother, why so ill?" He asked.

She turned looking both frightened and even more green. She gave a heart breaking smile.

"Nothing dear. I am just… worried." She gave a final look to the closed doors before turning to Thor. He gave her a reassuring smile.

"Not to worry, Father will not be bested again. Besides, Loki would not dare attempt to take his life again." Her face fell once more as she took his hand and started to lead him away.

"It is not Odin that I worry for." She said. Her eyes taking on a distant glazed over look. As if she was reliving a nightmare in her head and was having trouble leaving the dream to participate completely in reality.

"What do you mean, Mother?" Thor asked. She snapped from her thoughts and gave him another, better played smile. She linked arms and pet his shoulder.

"Nothing dear. Nothing." She said as they walked toward supper.

But it was far from nothing.

* * *

The event that finally pushed his curiosity over the edge into an investigation was when he passed by Loki's room some days later. He happened to over hear a struggle and came to see what was happening.

As he watched from behind a pillar he witnessed the child Loki kicking and hitting with little as much effort as possible.

Loki was panicking, frightened, and crying.

"Please – don't make me go back! I'll go to the cage, or you can kill me! You know what I did to Thor and Odin? Kill me! – Please!" He begged as one of the guards held him down and the other put him in cuffs.

"Please Master Loki, do not make this more difficult." One of the guards tried to reason. Both looked rather ill at locking his hands up.

"Please don't make me go back to him – I'll do anything!" Loki cried. "Mommy – I want my Mommy!" He started to scream however when the cuffs went on his voice silenced and he became complaint to being led toward Odin's chamber's once more.

Loki hadn't called Freyja Mommy in centuries. Now Thor was interested.

* * *

His first order in the investigation was to recruit his friends – who reluctantly agreed to help him find out.

However, after a few days of turning up nothing most everyone decided there was nothing to it. Thor figured only he was really interested and decided to approach the subject head on. He decided to go to Loki first who said nothing. He asked the guards who said they and sworn silence to Odin. Then he tried his father who said that it was punishment and that Thor did not need to know.

Only when he exhausted these options did he go to his mother who had seemed to disappear for hours and days. He found her in the library looking out a window with the same ill nightmare-reliving look he had seen a while ago.

"Mother, I know something is wrong." He stated. She looked at him with fright before smiling and trying to reassure him. He would not let her. He explained what he witnessed and when she looked as though her wall was still sturdy enough to stand against him he revealed that Loki had cried for 'Mommy.'

She nearly collapsed off her seat in anguish.

"What have I done?" She whispered to herself more than Thor.

"Mother what is it?" He asked. She pulled him onto the spot beside her on the seat. She could not look him in the eye as she turned her face to the sky and tears fell silently downward.

"I wish to tell you a story, will you listen?" She asked. Thor looked rather dejected. She smiled pitifully, stroked his cheek.

"After the story you will know why I do not hold as much resentment toward him as you when it comes to his… actions against your father." She stated. He took a deep breath and nodded for her to continue.

Tears still fell but her voice became rather isolated and unaffected by the emotion written on her face.

"Once there was a great king who took in the rejected child of another. He planned to raise the child like his own and his wife, filled with pity for the babe, agreed wholeheartedly.

At first the child was an angel. He was affectionate, happy and loving. The adopting parents doted on him as much as their own children and like the King had with the others, he spent time alone with the boy. They went on hunting trips and outings. Well, after a few of these outings the child started to pull away. He became sad, angry and played tricks on people. The king's wife could not figure out what was wrong and begged her husband to do something about it. So the King spent more time, alone, with the child. However, the behavior got worse, and soon she started to see her angel cry himself to sleep after story time and when the others had tucked in. One day, for no real reason at all… she followed her King and the child on an outing. Only, they did not go out. Instead they went to a room hidden away" Freyja paused. Her breath catching and eyes glazing over with anger and disbelief "Even though she witnessed it, she could not believe her eyes or ears. How could she? Her beloved was holding a child the way her husband held her. Only instead of kind words the monster – for it could not be her husband – was whispering evil. 'I will kill your mother and your brother's if you ever tell' the monster said. [which Freyja said in a deeper voice as if she was reading the story to a child and making it come alive]] Over and over. The king's wife ran." She paused again. Thor was still listening but not quiet connecting the story with his question.

"She confronted her husband sometime later, after the child had request to her to not let him go on outings any more. 'I did something bad, Mommy. I shouldn't go, Mommy. Please, Mommy.' [Freyja voiced in a panicked whisper]. She wanted to stop it. She wanted to protect him. She confronted the King – told him what she had seen and he laughed. What could she do? He was right. No one could stop him from doing it. The only reason he did not advertise the disgusting behavior was to save his blood related children from the trauma. He made her think about how her children would feel knowing what the little one was forced to do. So she swallowed her pride, her sorrow, and her outrage. She locked it up and tried to save face. She tried her best to save the little one however the king stopped her at every turn. She could not even tell her little one that she knew for if the boy knew that his Mother allowed it… She could not even fathom." She paused again.

"And now; as if to ruin the child once more he forced the grown man the child had become to take on the molested for once more."

Thor still did not understand, or perhaps he did not want to. "The little boy… the adopted one… his name was _Loki_." She whispered.

Realization hit him as hard as Mjolnir could have.

"No." He stated. Not accepting what she said.

"No." He stated, to reassure himself.

"NO." He stated to fight off the pieces clicking into place like a puzzle.

Everything was so clear now. Everything. Horrifically clear.

"The King is law, child." She said. He shook his head.

"No – father never touched me or, or, or any other child."

Freyja shook her head. "No, he only touched Loki."

Thor's face twisted in anger. It must be a lie! However, everything fit. His face became green, his stomach turned as he remember a very terrible night of child hood when he found his younger brother's night pants soaked in blood. He remembered Loki say he had sat on a spike. He remembered wondering what kind of spike and how Loki had laughed at him even though he was in pain.

He remembered many things that had not made sense and that he had glossed over.

Who else knew – the guards that led Loki to Odin's bedchamber? Most likely.

The dawning made him rethink his anger toward Loki's actions. He was still angry at Loki's attempt to destroy midgaurd but now he was more inclined to help Loki than punish him more.

"_I'd be happier in the cage than here." _Loki had whispered.

What had he done in not recognizing sooner?


End file.
